


Situation: Volatile

by bookl0ver



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Confrontations, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Manhandling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookl0ver/pseuds/bookl0ver
Summary: Ben finds out about Callum’s situation in the worst way. Is there any hope of resolution?
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Situation: Volatile

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking. 
> 
> Warnings: Some violence between Ben and Callum, swearing, mentions of blackmail, DI Thompson. 
> 
> Please heed the warnings, don't read if anything may be triggering. If anything else should be warned for please let me know. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Stop, Ben please, you’re hurting me!” 

The hand around his throat didn’t let up, instead tightening and pressing down all the more, snatching the last of the oxygen from his lungs. His chest heaved as he fought to get air back in, shoving helplessly at Ben’s shoulders, one hand desperately trying to pry the one on his throat off. 

“Why did you do it?” Ben’s voice was hard, eyes blazing but Callum recognised the undercurrent of hurt, hurt and desperation in him, how if he could only give him an answer that would satisfy him, soothe his fears he’d crumble at his feet. But Callum couldn’t give that to him. 

If only he’d known, and he should have, really. He knew Ben was getting suspicious, of his jumpiness and paranoia, restlessness and absent appetite. He thought he’d placated him with explanations of stress, but he’d been wrong. The next time Thompson summoned him he hadn’t noticed Ben following closely, hadn’t heard his hurt gasp as he hid behind a wall and listened to Callum recite the information he’d gained on Phil like an obedient puppet, hadn’t seen the tears filling his eyes and panic in his lungs as Ben rushed home to pace, agonising over his findings. Callum had come home, shaken and hating himself for what he was doing and slapped on a smile for Ben, who was sat in their bedroom. Before he’d managed to even greet his boyfriend he’d been pinned to the wall, and not in the fun way, Ben’s hands digging into him. 

“Thomp-" Callum gasped out, pulling weakly at the hand on his throat, lightheaded from the absence of air. Ben sharply pulled his hand back, glaring down at it with something akin to disgust before raising his eyes back to Callum. His expression softened as his boyfriend gulped at the air, hands now resting protectively at his throat. “Thompson’s blackmailing me.” 

His voice came out hoarse and quiet, filling the silence of the room. Ben’s mouth dropped open, head cocking to the side at the revelation. “Blackmailing you?” He repeated, watching closely as Callum closed his eyes and nodded. 

“He – He has stuff on you, enough to put you away,” Callum opened his eyes, tear filled, reached out for Ben. “He said he’d let you off if I got Phil for him. There’s some beef there, he won’t say what. I couldn’t lose you Ben, I need you – I --" Ben held a hand up, silencing Callum who watched him warily. 

Ben’s mind whirled, turning his back on Callum to stare at his – their – bedroom. Strung across the floor was Callum’s shorts and top that he’d slept in, tangled with Ben’s. Hanging up on the wardrobe was his jeans that Callum had ironed for him, Callum’s memory box just visible on the top of the wardrobe. He finally had it all and now it was being snatched from under him. 

“You chose me. Why, Callum? You know what this will do to us, don’t you?” 

Big hands landed on his shoulder, turning him round. Anger was starting to creep into Callum’s face, his jaw set and brows furrowed. 

“I can’t lose you Ben! I couldn’t live with myself if I let you get sent down, not when I could’ve stopped it. Couldn’t see Lexi's face when she wonders why her daddy isn’t around, won’t be around until she’s eighteen. I did this for us, for our family, can’t you see that?” 

A tear tracked its way down Callum’s cheek and Ben wanted to brush it away, but how could he? It wasn’t that he didn’t understand, if the shoe was on the other foot, had he been asked to choose between his dad and Callum he knew he’d pick Callum in a heartbeat – he'd done it before. But he never expected Callum to ever be in the position where the choice was necessary, had never imagined him capable of the same callousness to make the choice that he knew he himself possessed. 

“Of course I can see it,” He snapped back, tears beginning to sting at his own eyes. There was no way to salvage this, was there? “But it doesn’t change the fact that you betrayed us, the Mitchells, me. You lied, for months Cal, made my dad think you were on his side when all the while you were plotting to get him sent down.” 

“It’s... it’s not a betrayal,” Callum whispered, so quiet Ben’s implant barely picked it up. 

“You what?” Callum groaned when Ben shoved him up against the door again, fists tangled in his shirt. “How the fuck is it not a betrayal, Callum? Don’t tell me he was in on you stitching him up?”

With a growl that normally would fill Ben with heat Callum shoved him off, sending him stumbling backwards onto the bed. “Touch me like that again and I fucking swear -" What he was going to swear Ben didn’t know because he closed his mouth abruptly, took a deep breath before he dared to speak again, voice trembling but more controlled. “I’ve got a plan, Ben, okay? As soon as I realised what he was doing I came up with it. It’s fool-proof, I just need more evidence.” 

He was going to need a neck brace with all of the whiplash this day was giving him. He stared at Callum, wide eyed, anger dissipating into confusion. 

“What plan?” 

Callum held out his mobile, scrolling through until he reached his voice recorder app. He pressed play on one of the files, and the smarmiest voice that Ben had ever had the displeasure to recognise played through the room. 

_“You mean I ain’t really undercover?”_

_“Course not. I’ve got you assaulting Danny Hardcastle on tape. If you back out, I’ll make sure you won’t just be facing a suspension, you’ll be joining Ben in prison.”_

Ben stared up at Callum in horror as the clip ended, realising this was a lot more serious than his boyfriend had let on. It wasn’t just him at stake, but Callum too. 

Before he could speak Callum held up a finger, and pressed play on another file. 

_“I could throw you under the bus whenever I want, you know that, don’t you? Don’t you?”_

_“Yeah.”_

Another file selected, and Ben realised he had heard Callum’s side of the conversation before. 

_“You’re running out of time Highway. If you can’t give me Phil soon, something proper, you and your little boyfriend will be going away for a nice long stretch. I’m sure I can find something bigger to do you for, if you don’t behave.”_

_“Yes sir...”_

“Babe...” Ben started, hurt at the resignation in Callum’s voice and on his face, stepping close to pull him into a hug. He was still angry and confused, a knot in his stomach clenched almost unbearably tight and jaw aching from frowning, but it hit that Callum was in bigger trouble, under way more stress than he could ever have imagined. 

“Every time, every meeting I record him.” Callum said into Ben’s ear, holding onto him. Tears fell at the thought that this could be their last embrace. “Getting evidence that he’s blackmailing me. Everything he’s doing, making me do, it’s illegal. I’m fobbing him off as much as I can, but soon I’ll have enough for a case against him. He’s looking at conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, blackmail, coercion, abuse of authority, corruption. Anything he or I have worked on regarding the Mitchells will get thrown out, they’ll have nothing against us. I just need more time, make sure it’s watertight.” 

Ben blinked at the rush of information, pulling away to take Callum in. He meant it, he knew he did, and the last of his anger was chased away. He’d put Callum in this position by lying to him, after all, and Callum had done his best to try and find a way out without fucking them all over. It was amazing. 

He told him so. “That’s brilliant, Cal. I – I can’t believe you’ve been enduring this all on your own. I wish you’d have told me; I could’ve helped.” 

Callum’s smile was watery, and he shook his head. “You’d have taken his head off Ben. I couldn’t risk you getting into any more trouble. I swear, just another week or two. I’m gonna pretend that I’ve changed my mind, get him to really threaten me, admit that he’s blackmailing me and I can take this to the commissioner. Thompson’s not exactly got a clean sheet; this will finish him.” 

Callum finally felt like he could breathe when Ben smiled at him, a real smile, and nodded. 

“Good. Baby,” Ben slipped his hand into Callum’s, their fingers reflexively entwined together. “If your plan doesn’t work you have to come to me, okay? Tell me. No more lies, please. Whatever happens, tell me.” 

“I promise.” Callum answered. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. For lying, for agreeing in the first place, for not deleting the CCTV straight away.” 

“And I’m sorry,” Ben said, resting his free hand against Callum’s cheek, who immediately turned into the soft touch. “For getting you in this mess, for jumping to conclusions for...” He lowered his eyes, gently tracing the bruise on Callum’s neck. “For hurting you. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m so sorry. I was out of my mind, angry, hurt, I just -" 

“It’s okay Ben,” Callum leaned down, gently tilting Ben’s head up. “I know you didn’t mean to. And I know you won’t ever do anything like that again, right?” His voice hardened at the end, eyes boring into Ben’s, straight to his soul. 

“No, God no I swear. Never. I promise you, Callum. I shouldn’t have done it at all, I know and I’m so sorry, I swear I won’t ever do anything like that again.” 

Callum nodded at his words. “If you do, you won’t have to worry about Thompson cos I’ll get you locked up myself, understand?” 

Ben had a feeling the threat was not empty and nodded hastily. Not that it mattered whether it was empty or not, he was never going to ever give Callum reason to act on it. He’d die before he let anyone, including himself, ever hurt Callum again. He stretched up on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Callum’s lips, soft and sweet. 

Instantly Callum returned it, grabbing the back of Ben’s head to deepen the kiss, licking into his mouth the second it opened. Ben moaned lowly, hands drifting to Callum’s waist and pulling him close, stumbling when Callum continued to move forward, pushing him down on the bed. 

“Want you,” Callum panted when they parted. “Need to forget all this shit, I just want you, Ben. Please.” 

Ben lit up, beginning to work at Callum’s shirt. “I think I can sort that for you babe,” He grinned up at him. “Just want you too.” 

As they progressed, clothing thrown to the floor and heat filling their bodies as moans echoed in the air, they let themselves forget, only the barest thought in their minds praying that Callum’s plan worked.

**Author's Note:**

> * For the record I absolutely do not condone Ben's violence at the start, nor do I think a simple apology is enough to make up for it, but I felt it was in character, and he is genuinely apologetic and sincere in his promises not to do anything like that again. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you thought, comments and kudos are really appreciated. 
> 
> Have a great day!


End file.
